Walk By
by Monster Mads
Summary: As they say, every end is a beginning. With Soul's past revealed, Maka is only just starting to understand the complexity of his life – God forbid he make it easy for her. Pre-series semi-AU, sequel to Piano, MxS, mild TxBS.
1. The End

**Authors Note: **I'm back, bishes. You'll be happy to know that yes, I reached my goal of five-hundred reviews, and the claimer is none other than **AnImE KaRaSu**, whom was one of many that made my day last time around. Sorry for the wait, but yes, Piano has returned, and if it's able to gain as great of a turnout as it's predecessor, I daresay I might just squee to death.

There is no time skip between the final chapter of Piano and the first of Walk By, so if you think it's weird, well… I don't care. I'm in love with a guy in my French class and _nothing _is going to being me down at the moment. By the way everyone, happy Christmas – I will probably just revamp my old Christmas one-shot this time around and add in a few more scenes 3

Oh yes, and I did use the quote **Ambrie-chan** gave me in a review in the summary. Ha! If you're new to this story upon seeing the amazing summary, I'd suggest you read Piano, since I know if I attempted a summary I would fail oh-so-epically.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Soul Eater, Soul Eater owns _me. _See this? –holds up paper– they tricked me into signing it by bribing me with instant noodle. And now I belong to them :C FREE ME I SAY. THIS IS BLASPHEMY.

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**ChapterONE**

The End.

Now that everything had been brought into the light and Maka had managed to tie up so many loose ends, there was only one thing left to inquire about. In the rush of emotions that had been storming through her being for the last few hours, she'd completely forgotten the reason she'd come here in the first place.

"Shinigami," Maka asked the cloaked figure, "I know, for sure, that back when Lova was talking to... to me, that something happened. Somehow, I was saying... what Soul was thinking... or something? I don't understand."

He nodded, able to sympathize with why the blonde still had that troubled look on her face. He could barely believe it had happened, but then again, this was Maka Albarn and Soul Eater Evans. Strange circumstances seemed to follow their every move.

"What occurred was something called Mind Resonance. It's extremely rare, but I'm guessing that when Lova offered to switch partners, the reluctance to be torn from each other overwhelmed both of you, and you couldn't take it. Soul was outright panicking, so with thoughts that revolved around the fear of losing each other your minds automatically pulled towards each other. Soul's thoughts were just more strong or potent, I suppose, or more concentrated. You began to–"

"Then all that screaming," She interrupted him, "was what he was thinking?"

"Well, yes and no," He answered cryptically, and she gave him a dry look.

"_What?"_

"He was thinking along those lines, but the combined distress of you both as well as the synchronization rocketed those emotions to the point of insanity. I'll admit Soul is far from mentally stable, which is no surprise given his conditions, but he's not crazy. You were both scared."

Her eyes dropped to the ground, only just realizing that she'd yelled at him over something that wasn't even entirely his fault. They'd both played a part in that scene, and she found now that she'd have to track him down and apologize profusely. Soul had most likely been just as freaked as she was.

"Maka," Shinigami said, as if sensing her need to depart "don't lie to him, alright?"

She shot him a strange look, wondering what he meant by that, but nodded all the same. Turning towards the door, she gathered up all her courage and smiled over at Shinigami.

"Thank you – for everything," She told him, and he waved her off.

"Alright alright, now go find Soul and work things out."

He didn't need to tell her twice – the blonde was already gone.

----

Maka had already searched the building, and to her complete shock, when she returned to the classroom, the door had already been fixed. _Death the Kid, _she thought almost amusedly, turning a corner and heading out of the school's doors. She looked around –still no Soul in sight– and decided to head home. But just as she started towards the road, she saw noticed something out of place sitting against a tree a few feet away from her.

The first thing she noticed was that the person was Soul. The second thing was that he was sleeping_–_ quietly, with no signs of fear or distress on his face present. Something about his relaxed form brought a smile to her face, and she wandered over to his shaded spot.

"Were you… waiting for me?" She murmured quietly, kneeling down to push some stray hair off of his face to get a better look. It was strange how he was able to sleep so peacefully, and able to throw away his entire awareness of the world, even if it was only for a few hours.

"Soul," She murmured, and watched as his hypnotizing ruby eyes began to reveal themselves, leaving the two hunched over each other outside the school, with Soul looking groggily around, evidently confused.

He yawned.

"What time is it?" The teenager asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as if situations like these happened all the time. He didn't question her at all about where she'd been the whole time; Maka could only guess that he probably knew. Glancing at her watch, she replied,

"Five thirty... almost six."

"_Five thirty?_ What were you talking to Shinigami about that took two and a half hours?!"

Guilt set in. The thought of making something up briefly passed through her mind, but then Shinigami's words seemed to sink in for the first time and she decided that lying wasn't the way to go at this point.

"You." She told him, trying to hold his gaze by ending up dropping it to the ground. He was startled, and at first looked a little confused until he realized just what she meant.

"He didn't…"

"Well, someone had to!" Maka's temper flared up. "It wasn't as though I could sit here in the dark forever! Why does it matter? It doesn't change anything!"

Surprising Maka, Soul's next words were, "… it doesn't?"

Her hands balled up into fists in frustration. "Of course not, you idiot! Just because I _look like her, _doesn't mean I _am her!"_

She should've known he'd say something like that. Did this mean he still didn't trust her? Would he _ever _trust her? How many times did she have to prove she wasn't like Mia until it finally set in?

Her thoughts were banished when warm arms wrapped around her, and she found face resting on Soul's shoulder in a tight hug.

"I know that," he told her softly, "I know…"

"Then why don't you _trust me?_ What else can I say to get you to just –"

"You've said enough."

"No, I haven't!" Maka told him severely, but neither was willing to let go of another. In fact, at these words it seemed as though both grips tightened. "It's never gonna be enough for you! I'm going to have to live in her shadow_ forever!_"

"_No." _He stated fiercely, pulling back enough just so that they could see into each other's eyes. "You're different; I know that, I always knew it. It's just… old habits die hard, you know?"

"Can I believe you when you say that? Can you tell me honestly who you see when you look at me?"

"Trust me." Those were two words she really couldn't refuse without becoming a complete hypocrite.

"I already do."

Soul sighed. "You know I would've told you when I was ready. It just seems so wrong you had to hear it from someone else, you know? I mean, it's my life, and now that's just in the open, and I wasn't even _there _–"

"It's better this way," she explained calmly, "you would have waited too long – don't even try to argue, it's true. Soul, the reason hearing that doesn't change anything is because I already _know you._ I've already found out first-hand just how much of a killer you _aren't."_

"Maka…"

"Mia was weak," she told him, "feeble-minded and easily tricked. You also can't forget it was a year ago and I'm sure both of you have grown a little more. Next time there's something I should know, I want to hear it from _you."_

They studied each other for a moment, soaking in all the information they'd been handed, until Soul smiled and moved so that he had his arm around her neck, grinning at her mischievously.

"Well, you know a lot about me. Tell me something about you."

Maka bit her lip, not liking where this was going. "Ah… my favorite color is green?"

He shook his head as they began to head back to the front gates of the school. "Not something stupid, something _secret. _I _deserve_ to know, don't I?"

"Soul! How can you–"

"It's only fair, Maka."

"That's evil!"

Soul laughed at her distress. "You can tell me later. Right now, I'm starving."

"Cheshire Cat?" She asked pointlessly, already knowing the answer. He nodded, turning towards the road and shielding his eyes from the heavy sunset with a hand, wincing slightly.

"I'm gonna eat everything in sight." He decided when a growl emerged from his stomach, and with a jolt, Maka realized that breakfast had been quite sparse that morning. She punched his shoulder playfully, and under reflex his hand caught it in a tight hold, even though it didn't hurt at all. She was still laughing and making comments out his stomach's rudeness when they flagged down their ride, directing the driver of their destination before taking off towards their favorite café.

----

Soul took a bite of his sixth bagel, amazing Maka after she'd filled herself up on no more than one. He'd managed to take down not only the bagels, but two cinnamon buns as well – she was beginning to doubt the whether or not his stomach was just a bottomless pit. Still, despite the large intake of food, Soul looked unsatisfied, so the blonde tipped her head to the side, asking lightly,

"You're eating a lot, but you don't look pleased. What's up?" To her surprise, he smiled, answering lightly after he'd swallowed the food in his mouth,

"These are fine, but..."

"... but?" She prompted.

"Well, I prefer souls, that's all." For a second, Maka was confused, thinking he was referring to himself, until her eyes lit up in understanding.

"Oh! When have you ever had one?" Soul's eyes shut as he took another big bite out of the cinnamon bite, not bothering to finish it this time when he replied,

"A few times when I was younger." He didn't elaborate any further, and this time, she didn't prod. Instead, she leaned forward and let her finger brush the tip of his nose, momentarily paralyzing him. It was only when she pulled away did he spot the icing she'd wiped away did he relax again.

She laughed at his expression, her mouth closing around the finger and leaving it to reemerge clean.

"What do they taste like?" She asked curiously.

"Toast." He replied casually, biting into the bagel hungrily. She burst out laughing, earning the pair a few amused looks from nearby tables.

"Why don't you order some toast then?" she asked him, even though both knew how meaningless this conversation was. It was nice to just unwind without having to worry about the past or the future. Joking around was something they needed to learn how to do more often.

Soul shook his head sadly. "If I want toast, I have to order the tomato soup."

They continued to chat amicably for the next little while, exchanging stories and learning random facts like one's favorite flavor of gum or least favorite time of day as the minutes passed. It would have been so damn nice to have just stayed there in the café, laughing and smiling and getting to know each other through their strange process of bonding, but, unfortunately, all good things come to an end.

And those two knew that better than anyone.


	2. Don't Go to the Library

Every time you don't review a chapter, a pathetic fanfiction author dies D:  


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----

The two were still relaxing in the cafe after a good forty minutes passed, quietly making conversation and generally unwinding with each passing minute. It wasn't until twenty past six that Maka began to feel a little uncomfortable. Same as in the park, the blonde was getting that sharp feeling of being watched. Her body stiffened involuntarily.

Without warning, Maka spun around, gaze flickering around the café to find the source. After a moment, the green eyes found their mark on a seemingly casual old lady reading the paper. The old woman hadn't moved from her position in the chair, she noted, since they'd gotten to the café_ – _not even to flip the page. She remembered walking in and noting the woman was halfway through the thing, but other than that, she hadn't given her a second glance.

Maka shuddered, but it had nothing to do with the sudden cold she was feeling. Soul frowned, taking not of her sudden unease, and silently handed her his coat. She took it gratefully, even though she was sure it wouldn't stop her shivering.

That's when she _really _saw it. The woman and the paper she was reading. She froze up all over again, and slowly turned her head to Soul, hoping he couldn't spot the anxiety in her eyes.

"Soul," she called, voice carrying a slight tremor. He looked at her in worry. "What's the date today?" With another look of wonderment in her direction, he answered,

"November 28th. Maka, why are you…?"

She turned back to the old woman, ignoring the question, and her eyes widened. She had taken the paper from in front of her face and was smiling at Maka from across the room, her yellowed, crooked teeth doing just about nothing for her already creepy appearance. The maroon eyes stared at her, unblinking, and the grin stayed in full force. Maka glanced at the paper in her hands, and she threw a hand over her mouth to keep her from making any obvious noises to show she was in distress.

Like screaming, for example.

The paper she was holding wasn't for November twenty-eighth, two-thousand and eight. Reading over it again to make sure she wasn't wrong, Maka's eyes widened further.

December twentieth, two-thousand and six.

The day after the murder.

Maka stood up, leaving her plate, and grabbed Soul's hand. He looked at her curiously, but couldn't catch a glimpse of her face. Her hands were icy cold.

"We have to go." She told him, and he blinked, pulling out his wallet and tossing a ten dollar bill with some change on the table. "T-to… to the library."

"Wait, Maka, slow down," he said, "why are we–"

"Come on!" She urged, and pulled him out the door just as he managed to grab his sweater off the back of his chair, having shrugged it off earlier.

Maka glanced back at the woman one last time, but she had left. The faint sound of the bell at the door jingled, and for a brief moment the girl had to wonder if she had imagined it all_ –_

No. She hadn't imagined anything. It was the woman.

The woman from when she left the note to Siege.

The woman from the park.

She was giving her a clue. She definitely knew something – something about Soul's family's murder. And now, Maka felt like she had to find out. _But how?_ She thought to herself, panicking. _It's not like I can just ask Soul, he doesn't know anything! And I doubt Siege or even Shinigami do. Maybe I_ should_ visit the library… Maddy might be able to help. Besides, I already used that as an excuse to get out of the café, so Soul's gonna be suspicious if I don't go after that._ She wasn't even fooling herself in thinking that Soul didn't suspect a thing thus far.

Nevertheless, it seemed like a good idea – whenever Maka needed answers, the library had always been a reliable source. Taking a deep breath, she continued looking straight forward as she dragged Soul behind her, who was currently trying to push his hand through the wrong sleeve of his sweater. _That's definitely my best bet. Who was I to think I could possible get away with a day of peace?_

She flagged down a taxi, and they both leaped in, relieved to see an older man in his late fifties instead of a boy with shaggy hair and a bad attitude. She wouldn't be able to handle talking to him right now, not when she was so tense that the crinkle of leaves under her feet was enough to make her wince.

"Maka?" Soul called to her, overwhelmed by the series of events going on around him. "Maka, why do you need to go to the library so badly? What's wrong?" He asked her, and she shook her head.

"Nothing's wrong, I just, uh, have to go check in a book I've been waiting for."

"You mean check _out_?"

"Yeah, yeah, same thing."

Soul stared at her in disapproval. Now he _knew _that something was up. Maka would never say something like that if she was in her right mind – she wouldn't even make the mistake. Something must really be bothering her.

"Tell me what's on your mind – maybe I could help." He addressed her, and Maka turned toward him absent-mindedly. She wondered briefly, _can he help? Should I tell him?_ But she decided against both. There was nothing he could do, and she didn't want to unnecessarily worry him if she could avoid it. He always did his best to protect her; now it was her turn. Why get him worried when she might be wrong about the whole thing anyway? She'd just do a quick check, and then she'd go home with Soul.

"I just... saw someone there that I really didn't want to see right now." She told him nonchalantly, refusing to meet his eyes. Maka twirled her blonde hair between her fingers, biting her lip and hoping he would buy it, but, although looking thoroughly unconvinced, he dropped the subject and that was good enough for her.

They stopped in front of the library, so Maka took a deep breath before opening the doors.

Big mistake.

Naturally, her first instinct was to cry out. The books were coated in a sticky, red substance that she immediately recognized as blood. Soul rushed in behind her, taking a protective stance in front of her.

"Maka?" He called over his shoulder, glancing back to make sure she was unharmed. She stood open-mouthed with a hand lying over her lips, and her eyes were frozen in shock. Broken glass littered the ground of the room, and the cold air swished all around her. Terror flowed through her frozen blood at top-speed as she looked around the room to find the source of blood, and when she found it, she screamed again, even louder.

Maddy was slumped against her desk, a head injury and large gashes littering her body. Soul reached down and slid his finger through the blood before concluding to Maka,

"It's still warm. The killer has to still be here."

Her terror increased, but it also bothered her that Soul didn't seem at all scared as he watched the carnage before him carefully for any signs of movement. She also didn't miss the fact that he'd said "killer" over "attacker", signaling her favorite librarian's departure from their world.

Something flashed in her peripheral vision, and she was pushed to the ground so quickly that by the time she hit the floor she was confused as to how she had gotten there. Soul stood in front of her, his arm taking the shape of the long, red-and-black scythe she had seen earlier at school and back with the taxi.

And in front of him, a hooded figure stood towering over them both with a large silver knife poised against the blade, seemingly unconcerned by the interruption. A large black cloak covered the stranger's entire form, allowing whoever it was to blend into the darkness.

"Maka, get back!" He shouted behind him, red eyes glinting in the light, and she scrambled to the right just in time to avoid a dangerous blow to the head when the person flew forward. Within seconds, Soul had his arm poised against the silver blade that had nearly beheaded her once more, the clash resounding around the room with a sharp _clang._

Oh god, why did she go to the library?

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December twenty-eighth, 2009. Thirteen days from the last update; that's not so bad, right?

**A/N: **Two chapters into the story and we're already dealing with murders. Yay! Action! It's about time, eh? All the angst was building up, I think we're due for a fight scene. Anyway, don't expect anything epic, as I've never been amazing at them. But I'd love to hear who people think the attacker is. I guarantee you won't get it, either 8D Thanks for all the reviews last chapter! Thirteen 3 Ilyguys.


	3. Complications

Feedback makes me write. In fact, it's ALL that makes me write. So if you want an update, well... C:

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The air was filled with a loud _clang_ as Soul's arm once again intercepted another attack aimed at Maka. But Soul hadn't been prepared for the complex counter-attack the shadow aimed at him; his arm shoved the weapon out of the way in time to avoid a potentially fatal blow, but not in time to avoid injury completely.

He leaped back, still poised in front of Maka and panting heavily as he clutched the now-useless right arm, and an idea struck Maka after her panic finally subsided and she was able to think clearly again. The attacker seemed to be aiming for her, and Soul was being forced to protect her. But it wasn't necessary; she was top of the class at Shibusen, with just as much training in combat as Soul, if not more. Still, most of the moves she was taught involved a weapon, so she reached a hand out towards Soul.

"Transform into a scythe!"

"But–"

"Just do it!" She screamed, and with one last distressed look at her, his form disintegrated into dust and appeared in her hands as a weapon she had never once laid eyes on. It was nothing like she had been shown in the books. She gasped in sudden awe.

The shape was glorious, and the long black steel grip glinted dangerously in the light. Not a single mark scathed the beautiful hilt – it was as picture perfect as she had imagined it, if not more. The flawless design crawled all the way up to the long blade that protruded from the very top, stretching at least five foot across from her. Sharp black and red coloring was split by clean slices in a zig-zag-like pattern, and, carried with a majestic air, telling an entire new story of grandeur you would have never been able to have imagined looking at the crimson-eyed boy that hosted it.

"Maka! Get your head out of the clouds!" She remembered the situation at hand not long before his attacker had leaped high into the air with their weapon ready to strike. She pulled the heavy scythe off the ground, being careful not to lose her footing, and swung him through the air, just missing their attacker.

Suddenly confidence began to creep into her step, but it quickly vanished as she brought up the tarnished metal, prepared to strike, only to be thrown back onto the ground, winded.

"Damn, his movements are so fluid!" She ground out in frustration, and began to stand up only to fall back as the weight of her weapon increased. She looked up in astonishment to see the enemy crouched on Soul's blade and looking down at her curiously. All she caught was a pair of narrowed olive eyes staring down, unblinkingly for the moment before their attacker jumped backwards in a back flip, disappearing into the shadows just as they hit the ground.

And then, just like that, Maddy's killer was gone.

Both were still for a few agonizing seconds as they listened for footsteps, and the silence weighed down on them before she heard a groan. Not a second after, Soul had materialized beside her, his limp form falling right into her lap.

"Soul? Soul, are you okay?" Her panicky voice called out as she shook his shoulder, not missing the fact that the wound on his arm was gone as if it had never been there. He mumbled something as his breathing steadied, and then the red eyes opened slowly, looking up at her blearily.

"Changing into that form just... tires me out," he murmured, and she breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't been critically injured, he wasn't sick – just a side effect of the weapon form.

"We have to go see what happened to M... Maddy." she said as he pulled himself up, his arms shaking with the effort. He swayed when he was finally on his feet, and he put a hand to his head, trying to ward of the sudden dizziness that overtook him. Maka took his arm and steadied him, but received a nod of confirmation that he could stand on his own less than a second later.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked her, his red eyes scrutinizing, and she looked at him sarcastically.

"Oh yeah, I'm just _ecstatic _about it!"

"I'm just saying that if you'd prefer to go on ahead, I can check on the body – it's your first time having to see something like this, and I know it isn't easy…"

Maka's eyes hit the ground, realizing what he was trying to say now. It may be her first time seeing death, but it wasn't his.

_Ha,_ Maka thought, _just because he's seen it all before doesn't mean it'll hurt him any less. Stupid boys, always trying to put up strong fronts for us girls… another one with a hero-complex, I see_

"It's fine, Soul, I can take care of myself." She didn't want him in front of her; she wanted him by her side. Soul was a weapon, not a shield.

The words were spoken in a soft, understanding voice that Soul cherished above all else, so rather than arguing with her further, he complied with nothing more than a soft sigh and a shake of his head. She was strong, stronger than Mia ever had been, that was for sure, and it only made his growing affection for her increase. How had he lucked out on gaining a partner like her so easily?

The two slowly walked over to the scene of the crime, their footsteps echoing ominously in the quiet hall. Very little sound could be heard other than the muffled yelling that originated from the broken windows sitting high on the walls as well as the sickening dripping of blood falling from the bookshelves and onto the cold floor. With a shiver, Maka continued forwards, determined to harden herself to this. It was too late to back out now.

Fear struck her with the force of truck all over again, though this time it was her vision that began to swim. Soul placed his hand on her shoulder, and she rubbed her eyes while he ran over to quickly turn the sign on the door to 'closed'. The last thing they needed was someone walking in and being scarred for life.

Turning to look at the body for the second time that night, Maka thought that she'd never felt this kind of nausea before.

Maddy's shoulder-length blonde hair was slick with blood, and the red made it look as though it was on fire. Her arms were limp at her sides while the face was shadowed, head slack and looking down at her chest. But Maka's emotions took a hold of her and she ran forward to check for a pulse, even though Soul had already done the same earlier. Maybe he'd made a mistake – maybe he was wrong...

Nothing.

"...Maddy..." She whispered as tears ran down her cheeks, barely taking notice when Soul kneeled beside her and put an arm around her neck, closing his eyes and bowing his head in sorrow,

"I'm so sorry," He was addressing Maka, but at the same time the woman before him; just another name to add to the list of people he wasn't able to save in time.

When Maka turned her blurry vision on him, she could see the misery in his eyes was real. The face she was showing him right now wasn't glued there forcibly – sometimes she forgot to remember that he was still human, no matter how different from everyone else he seemed at times.

She nodded solemnly, but something caught her eye. Her last hasty inspection had led her to miss the torn piece of paper that lay pinned to Maddy's shirt, and she leave forward to pluck it from its place, the horror in her chest increasing, and threatening to knock her off her feet. Soul looked at the note over her shoulder, and read what it said aloud:

"_You can see nothing else_

_When you look in my face_

_I will look you in the eye_

_And I will never lie."_

For a few seconds the two were silent when Maka suddenly broke the silence .

"But what does it _mean?"_ Maka ground out, stifling a scream of frustration, and Soul shook his head in disgust.

'"It's a riddle." He told her. She made no other response other than beginning to stare at him unblinkingly.

"A riddle?" She echoed, realization dawning on her, and he looked down at the ground with condemnation and revulsion marked all over his face.

"Yes, a riddle." she glanced at his brooding features curiously.

"Then why do you look so stricken, Soul?" She asked, and he met her eye. She held back a gasp; rage had lit the red eyes on fire, but his calm response betrayed nothing as his eyes went cold.

"Because it means her death was no accident. This was a message. A message to _us."_

----

Soul pulled out his silver, particularly expensive-looking cell phone and dialed three numbers before relaying the situation to an operator. In the mean time, Maka knew she couldn't leave the papers for the police to uncover. They were the most recently pulled, and it would raise suspicion. Not only that, but they could help her in finding out who could have done this to Maddy.

Just in case she might find something interesting, she took all the papers related to the Evans family murder and stuffed them into her bag before grabbing up the four most recent ones from the last four days, on the off-chance was something interesting in them- a clue, maybe. It was then that Soul turned his gaze onto her after shutting his phone and stuffing it into his back pocket.

"This phone is untraceable, so we are going to leave the scene right now to avoid hours of unnecessary questioning. We're going to take the note, and then go home, okay?" Maka was silent for a second; not bothering to ask where he had gotten a phone that even the police couldn't track.

"But we could get into trouble if we don't cooperate with them–"

The dark look on Soul's face stopped her in mid-speech, and she gulped, his fierce expression leaving no room for arguing.

"Don't worry about that. Let's just go... I don't like the cops."

Maka nodded silently when a particular memory crossed her mind – one of a younger Soul taken into the police's custody for hours on end to be interrogated – and the two walked out of the back entrance to keep from being spotted by witnesses before making their way down the street and catching a taxi. Maka's eyes drifted over the elegant cursive writing that spelled out the riddle, anger boiling in her mind now. Maddy had had _nothing_ to do with this. She was just an innocent by-stander, caught up in her and Soul's own problems. Y_ou've gone too far this time! _She thought fiercely, clenching her teeth so hard they began to ache.

_You want a war? You got a war._

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**A/N: **I'm gonna be honest with you. I didn't proof this chapter at all. Ididn't even look over it. So if it's riddled with mistakes, well... I'm not really surprised. Soul Eater muse is currently empty, but I thought I'd update anyway. Enjoy, and please review! Thank you so much :)


	4. Putting Together the Pieces

Review to up my muse!

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The two arrived home at about eight o' clock, and Maka decided to crash at Soul's place the same way she had the other day, too shaken to go back to her own home all alone. She wanted to hear Soul play, but Maka knew that they had a lot of work to do before they could begin to drift off.

She slipped her bag off of her shoulder and onto the floor, pulling out all the papers she'd taken from the library, as well as the note.

"We have to find a pattern. Any idea what that riddle means?"

Soul's hands hit his knees as he leaned over to glance at the papers from behind Maka. The red eyes darted over all of them, not surprised to see his family's case on the headlines, and the only way you could tell how freaked out he really was by the mess was by his hands' slight, almost non-existent trembling.

"I've got nothing. Hand me a paper."

She abided, and he quickly found himself looking down at December twentieth's horrifying headline of _Entire Evans family killed in one night. _

Soul's hand clenched the thin paper in a death grip, but he didn't hesitate to begin reading, a determined look in his eye. Maka suddenly felt a rush of admiration for him – how he managed to take in the entire situation with a cool expression took some extreme control. She felt safer just looking at him.

"Hey..."

She said without realizing that she'd voiced it, and he glanced up to find her staring at him compassionately, a faint look on her face. She didn't say anything else; she didn't need to. He'd already understood within that second that it was her way of silently telling him that she had his back. Soul's face relaxed into a more neutral expression, and he put his arm around her shoulders, keeping her close to him. It helped.

An hour passed and the two were nearing their last paper, having read through every last article, comics and sports news included.

Finally, they came upon November third's paper, the one printed early this morning. There was nothing of importance in it, and Maka even came up with a small smile when in a minor category they mentioned the taxicab Soul had destroyed. At her sudden change of heart he looked over and outright laughed.

She hit the last page – the obituaries. Skimming through it, she realized that Maddy's face would be counted in tomorrows, and a small lump formed in her throat. It was her fault that Maddy died –she shouldn't have asked her about the Evans murder and getting her involved, or – or...

But even as she thought about it, Maka knew that there was nothing they could have done to prevent it at the time. And as she was about to close the paper, she spotted the last image on the page, in the far right corner.

She stopped breathing.

The old woman.

"S–S–Soul!" She screeched, flinging the paper halfway across the room just as he instinctively went into a defensive position, eyes scanning for danger. When he found none, he looked back at her, confused, and finally spotted the disturbed look in her eye.

"On the b-bench... and the park... but I'm sure I saw her at the café today!" She blurted out, leaving the teenager beside her in the dark as she tried to figure out what happened. Maybe she had a twin? Or maybe it was just someone who looked a lot like her?

She glanced over at the paper draped haphazardly over the fireplace, catching a look at that horrible grin of crooked teeth just as it slipped down through the protective glass and into the fire, disappearing in seconds.

"...Maka... you realize that now we have to go all the way back downstairs and grab another paper, right?"

She nodded slowly, taking his hand as he pulled her to her feet and led her to the door. Making their way into the hallway and down the stairs until they hit the lobby, Maka saw the paper draped over a chair. Seeing the same headline as that day's she picked it up and flipped it over, her eyes training towards the far right corner where she'd seen the woman's face.

But it wasn't there. Where she'd seen it was now just a blank space, as if nothing had ever occupied it. Papers didn't usually leave free space like that… either they just readjusted the size of the rest of the boxes to clear all the space or placed an advertisement in its place.

_I didn't imagine it, I didn't imagine it, I didn't imagine it..._

"What's wrong?" Soul asked her tensed up form, concern heavy on his face. She briefly considered not telling him before realizing how stupid that would be. They were in this together, and she had no reason not to. Sad as it was, old habits die hard, so, nodding, she replied,

"I saw that crazy lady's picture in the paper upstairs... but in this one, there's just a blank space."

"But papers never leave any-"

"I know!" She shot back, looking down at her feet. He glanced around the room and then ran a hand through his hair, looking visibly stressed out the point of near-hysterics.

"Let's take a break. We should get some sleep, and figure this out t... tomorrow..."

Maka's head leaned back so she could look at him and finally noticed the dark circles under his eyes, as well as the how pink they were beginning to look. He looked drained, ready to fall down right then and there.

Didn't he have a nap earlier? She mused before remembering what he'd said about transforming –it exhausted him. Without warning he swayed, putting a shaking hand down on the chair for support. Soul turned his pleading eyes on her.

"Can we?"

"O-of course!" She assured him, keeping a sturdy hand on him as they made their way back to the apartment. Opening the door, Maka felt a heavy draft blow in from the open window –

Wait... was that open before?

She looked over at the fireplace, and to her astonishment she saw that it was empty. It wasn't just that the flame had gone out, but even the ashes were gone... It looked like someone had taken Mr. Clean to it or something. Almost as if it had just been brought home from the store.

"The newspapers... they're gone." Soul suddenly broke in, and she followed his gaze to the empty floor. The only thing that remained was the small torn piece of paper with the riddle scrawled onto it.

And then they noticed the wall.

**SORRY, TRY AGAIN.**

Maka's mind hardly registered the massive dark printing written in charcoal before Soul's body finally gave out and he slid out of her grasp, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

* * *

Intense stuff. And a cliffy! I hope you know I hold no remorse for that one. Anyway, thanks for the reviews everyone, I'm really happy :) excited for valentines day, anyone? Plans? Becomes I got nothing. The boy I like isn't in any of my classes, and the boy who likes me, I don't like back. So naturally, I'm screwed. But my sister got a really nice present from her boyfriend since he can't be here on Val's Day. Ugh, I'm so done with winter now. I want it to be summer again! Am I right?

I'm down to like, six more prewrites and then it will be up to my muse completely. I'll do my best. Please review~


	5. Crisis

"Soul? Soul, are you okay?"

Maka's body moved on its own, and she barely heard her own voice before she found herself crouched down and shaking Soul's tense figure. Checking his forehead for a fever, she pulled her hand back with a hiss, clutching it to her chest before looking back at him.

He had a high fever going on, so hot she'd nearly burned her hand just touching him. Her brow creased in worry, trying again with his name.

"Soul!"

His breathing was ragged and uneven. He'd probably worn himself out after transforming –after all, it wasn't like he'd had too much experience in the area. Most likely what he should've done was gone straight to sleep when he'd gotten home, and taken some time to recover –Maka silently cursed herself for not figuring it out earlier. She'd noticed signs of over-exertion but had selfishly passed it off as minor distress… she should've known. Maka was top of the class, wasn't she? What good were pretty A's when she landed in situations like this?

Once again, her hand went out to touch him, but he was way too hot – which might have her worried had she not studied the matter and found that scythe's temperatures didn't average out the same way as technicians. They were still human, but their bodies were constructed completely differently. Like different breeds of humans, the same way there were different breeds of dogs and cats.

_I should call Tsubaki, _she thought suddenly,_ she's a scythe, so she should be able to help too._

She made her decision before tugging the phone out of Soul's pocket, careful not to let herself come in too close contact with his already heated up clothes, and flipped through the built-in phonebook until she found Tsubaki's number.

It rang, once, twice, and then there was a scuffling sound as the girl picked up the phone. Tsubaki's voice was a polite and curt,

"Hello, this is Tsubaki,"

"I'm _so_ relieved you picked up – anyway, I need your help! Soul's got a fever, and I can't touch him."

There was a pause, and then Tsubaki inquired nervously, "What's wrong with him? Is he sick?" She shook her head and then realized that Tsubaki couldn't see it, so she quickly replied,

"N-no... well, something like that–"

"I'll be right over."

The phone line went dead.

Tsubaki would be over in a matter of moments considering her place was only down the hall, but still, for the brief time, Maka was alone.

She wished she could hold Soul's hand for reassurance – any sort of physical interaction would be okay at this point, she was so frightened. His untouchable state frustrated her to the point where she slammed her fist down on the ground, fighting tears. This was hands-down the most horrifying night of her life. And she couldn't even share her misery with her best friend.

Three soft knocks sounded on the door, causing Maka to slowly lift herself off the ground and over to the door, pulling it open with a light effort. Immediately, Tsubaki came barging in, sharp eyes flashing all over the room until they hit Soul, who was still breathing unevenly and lying on his side on the floor.

She shot across the room faster than Maka thought possible, and quickly analyzed his condition by putting the back of her hand on his forehead. Judging from the grave but determined expression, the heat didn't seem to be bothering her much at all.

"Two-hundred and twenty..." she estimated fearfully, making Maka swallow hard and peer down at her.

"That's inhumanly high..."

"Not for death scythes, thank God, or else he'd be dead right now." Her stomach lurched at that word. She'd seen enough death for one day, even if they did live in Death City. Tsubaki turned her cobalt eyes on her again and asked carefully,

"What did you say happened to him again?" She scratched the back of her head, not wanting to lie if it put Soul in danger but at the same time reluctant to get her involved. She settled for the former... she didn't want anything to happen to her friend, but Soul was a whole different matter. She wasn't sure if she could cope without him by her side.

"He transformed into his scythe-form. He was tired afterwards, but that was at roughly six forty-five... ish." Tsubaki reeled back, staring at her incredulously.

"Three hours ago?" She asked in astonishment, staring at the girl with unconcealed bewilderment. "And you're telling me he hasn't slept at all since then?"

Hesitantly, Maka nodded slowly, her dread growing. From the other girl's shock, she already knew that had to be bad– really bad.

"Why? What will happen now?" Maka interrogated her, grabbing her sleeve anxiously in a childish manner, and Tsubaki gently pulled her arm out of her grasp so she could move towards the bathroom, looking through the medicine cabinet but pausing when she opened it.

Behind the mirror, the shelves were stuffed with what looked to be like thirty different prescriptions for insomnia alone. She spotted all different brand names, and most of them were around half-full... like he'd tried them and concluded on their uselessness.

"Maka... Soul doesn't sleep much, does he?" She called to the blonde, who frowned and gave a half-nod. Tsubaki's expression relaxed a little now that she had an explanation.

"When an inexperienced scythe tries to use their scythe form, it's exhausting, and the strain usually causes them to fall into a semi-coma to recuperate – nothing to worry about, it just means that they're sleeping and couldn't be forced awake without the use of medication. But Soul stayed awake for three hours straight?"

Maka confirmed the fact with another nod, not trusting her voice to convey her thoughts properly at this time. She felt like someone had pushed a bookshelf on top of her – both physically and mentally bruised.

"Okay. Yes, he should have gone unconscious – if he'd managed to stay awake for that long, it would have put huge strain on not only his physical structure but also his psyche. He shouldn't have gotten sick like this… it's probably because his lack of sleep already had him in a weak state. Scythes need more sleep than people do, that's why all the classes for weapons start later into the day at Shibusen."

Tsubaki was being so helpful, Maka could hardly believe it. She would have never been able to figure these things out in the necessary amount of time. The blonde made a mental note to find a way to repay the girl for her kindness.

"Is there anything I can do?" Maka asked, eyes pleading. She wanted to do something for him, _anything_, especially since he had been so supportive when she had gotten pneumonia. Tsubaki smiled, answering,

"Well, he needs plenty of rest, but keeping a cold cloth on his forehead should keep his fever down to a more bearable level, since he's probably uncomfortable. I'm going to go home and phone a doctor on further instruction since I've never actually dealt with this kind of situation."

Maka was impressed. "You're so calm and level-headed. I guess you would need to be, though, since you're Black Star's partner."

Tsubaki blushed a pretty shade of pink and laughed modestly, turning around and heading for the door, but she paused in the frame.

"Oh, you look like you haven't eaten in a while, so I'll bring over some of tonight's leftovers when I come back."

"Thank you!" She called back just as the dark-haired girl pulled the door closed. Maka turned back to the injured boy on the ground, sighed, and then walked over to the kitchen, grabbing a pair of oven-mitts with mild exasperation. She should _not _have to put on over-mitts to help her sick friend to a bed.

Walking back, she pulled Soul up by his arms. He was pretty heavy if you added his limp state, but she managed to drag him into his room, tossing him onto his bed carelessly and placing her hands on her knees, glaring at his limp form.

"I've never encountered such a hard-to-treat ill person as you," she told him even if he couldn't hear her with a small smile, but began to feel a little guilty when his shivering increased. He seemed to shrink in on himself, and going over to him automatically led her to forget to use caution and actually physically burning her finger just on an attempt to check his temperature. He was like a hot stove – she was surprised the sheets hadn't caught on fire or something. Perhaps they had been designed for scythes, or something similar…

Popping the finger in her mouth to calm the angry throbbing coming from in, she managed with more than a little effort to finally push him into a comfortable position under the soft blankets that covered his queen-sized mattress, smiling at her work.

It disappeared just as he began to cough, which increased rapidly. Maka rushed to his side, hands itching to touch him, make sure he was okay. She wanted to scream in frustration – who knew physical contact was made of such a "you don't miss it till it's gone" factor? She suddenly leaned in closer to the teen as she heard him begin to talk until she realized that he was only giving out soft sentence fragments.

"Soul? Are you awake?" She asked, eyes studying every aspect of his face for signs of... anything at all. He was most likely delirious at this point – it would explain the mumbling. The soft whimpering made him seem so much more vulnerable, and there was just something about Soul at his best that just made him seem so him in that weak state... it seemed almost unnatural.

His coughing began again, this time tenfold, and she had to hold herself back from reaching out to him yet _again. _But the pained look on his face was quickly panicking her, and she couldn't help the shrill call for help from escaping her before it happened.

"Ts... Tsubaki!!"

* * *

It's been a while, ne? *weak smile* I'm sorry! Blame my shifting muse! I've been low on time lately, too, and any time I had dedicated to writin was given to whatever I had muse of. I hate writing when I don't feel like it... it's not like I'm being paid so why should it feel like a chore, you know? Anyways, I hope there are still a few people following me. I'll update again sometime in May though, I promise, okay? :) So enjoy the cliffhanger, haha.


	6. Limit

The black-haired girl had just closed the door when she heard Maka calling her name, and in turn rushed into the room, followed closely by a doctor she'd never seen before – it hadn't been the one from when she was sick. This one was female.

"Hello," The woman greeted, her short red hair falling to her shoulders in neat, wavy locks. "My name is Dr. Lafourche – I'm a scythe specialist. Tell me what's wrong." She cut right to the chase.

Maka followed her example by blurting out, "This is Soul – he was in his scythe form, but because of … complications he ended up like this, and we don't know what to do!" Her voice had risen to a wail by the end of the rushed explanation. However, the woman didn't seem annoyed in the least – instead, she pulled back the blanket and put one hand over Soul's chest, frowning as she studied his heartbeat, which was much too fast for a healthy scythe. Something was wrong.

She pulled out a small vial full of a clear, blue-tinged liquid and handed it to Tsubaki as she pulled out a needle from the bag at her side, cleaning and sterilizing it before taking the vial and carefully pouring it into the cache, lifting up a tense arm and sliding the thin steel needle into his skin, making Maka visibly wince.

A few seconds passed and his death grip on the fabric lessened as his breathing began to even out a bit more. His body slowly began to relax, and Soul's incoherent mumbling stopped altogether, leaving him sleeping relatively peacefully, minus the fever.

Just as Maka was about to sigh in relief, Soul suddenly tensed up all over again, and his hand shot out to grab the edge of the bed, digging his fingers into the mattress hard enough to nearly produce holes.

He opened his mouth, but no sound escaped, and Maka once again felt the instinct to reach out to him, cursing herself for her weakness against the heat and completely disregarding the fact that it was irrational and unreasonable to blame herself for something so unavoidable. Her hysterical voice reached Dr. Lafourche who had begun to walk away, stopping her in her tracks.

"Something's wrong! What did you_ do?"_

The woman spun around to see Soul's distressed form thrashing and rushed over, eyes shocked at the turn of events. Even she wasn't entirely sure of what to do – she didn't know what was wrong with him originally, but the drug she'd given him was used to put scythes into medically-induced comas, like they were supposed to go into after the first few times of switching into their scythe forms. It was also used for buying time to figure out what was wrong with the patient – she'd been using it for both purposes, and it had failed. This was bad.

She leaned over him to get a better look at his face, but before the woman had time to jump back his free hand had slammed into her arm, gripping it painfully while he looked as though he was fighting some kind of inner-struggle.

Dr. Lafourche jerked her arm away from Soul, having to put more force into it because of his strong hold on her, and watched it drop like a rock back onto the bed, where he suddenly froze before going completely limp.

"_You killed him!_" Maka shrieked, but before she could make a move Tsubaki's calm hand had reached out to grasp her sleeve. She spoke without any prompting as fast as she could,

"Maka, take a better look at him! He's breathing, see, just look at his chest!"

It was true, and Maka immediately looked over to find the evidence of life almost taunting her. Without any further warning, Maka's legs collapsed beneath her, and she landed with her knees apart and hands on the ground in front of her, steadying her.

She didn't say anything, but her shaking alerted the girl of her close proximity with her breaking point. Any longer and she'd fall apart, so Tsubaki gently took her arm and lifted her back to her feet, where Maka hastily began to rub her eyes. This had to be the longest day of her life.

"His body began to fight the drug, but it won out in the end, don't worry. False alarm," Dr. Lafourche informed them from the other side of the bed. "We can figure out what's going on tomorrow."

Tsubaki took Maka into the other room. She was clearly at her limit, and the black-haired teen explained that Maka should stay with her that night after Dr. Lafourche explained that the drug wouldn't wear off for another twelve hours. That meant he was good for the night.

Maka would've protested further at having to leave Soul's side, but she was too tired to fight it, and allowed herself to be led to the other girl's apartment and placed in the guest bedroom, since every apartment in Shibusen had two bedrooms due to the high rate of techs and scythes moving in with each other. Most pairs were as close as siblings, anyway – and a rare few were even closer.

Maka feel asleep before she even hit the bed, without cleaning herself up or changing. So when morning came and the light began to filter in through the window in the bedroom, Maka's eyes slowly blinked open and she found that she had absolutely no idea how she had ended up there, fully clothed and tangled in unfamiliar sheets.

Still drowsy, she sat up and rubbed her eyes, yawning widely and looking around the room while wondering where Soul was. She'd been crashing at his house for a while now, and wasn't used to finding herself outside of the light olive-green walls of the guest bedroom.

"Soooul," She droned mindlessly, covering her mouth as she felt another yawn coming on. And then, as if saying his name was the trigger, last night's events came crashing down on her and she jumped up, flying across the room and preparing to flip the handle of the door. It opened just as she shot through it, but in her haste she ended up slamming face first into the white wood.

She hit the ground with a groan, and just as she was picking herself up, Tsubaki slammed the door open, holding a kitchen knife with a furious expression on her face.

"Maka? _Maka, where are you?" _She barked, spinning the knife into the proper position for stabbing, until she heard a moan from below her. Slowly pulling the door back, she found Maka crumpled up against the wall, glaring at her.

"Tsubaki..."

"Ah! Maka! I'm so sorry! I heard that bang and I just thought... here, let me help you up!"

Still, the blonde was impressed at the girl's quick thinking. Within seconds of the sound she had made it into the room with a weapon poised to strike, not looking her usually timid self in the least.

"I want to go see Soul." She said shortly when she was back on her feet, dusting herself up. Tsubaki sighed, and in a resigned voice asked rhetorically,

"If I said no, would it stop you?"

"Pssh, right." Maka answered, rolling her eyes stubbornly and barging out of the room, slowing down when she found herself in the living room of Tsubaki's apartment. The walls were a dark tanned color, with a beautiful chandelier hanging in the middle, giving of a warm golden glow and complimenting the maroon furniture that decorated the room.

Thin ivory curtains were blowing in the soft breeze coming from the window, and Maka shivered, holding her arm to her chest. She looked around, automatically searching for Soul's black coat as it had sort of become both of theirs after her repeated use of it, until once again, memories flooded her head. She pushed towards the door.

"Thanks for having me!" She called back to Tsubaki, silently vowing to give the girl a better thank you when she had spoken to Soul... if he was even awake.

So, without grabbing any sort of sweater, Maka opened the door, heading towards the familiar apartment that had become her second home.

* * *

o0o0o0o

I will post the next chapter within a month, because I had forgotten about this story, and for that I apologize x.x It's not fair for me to make you guys wait two months when I don't give massive chapters :P But thanks for the reviews! I probably wouldn't bother to continue without them, since I'm well bored of this story so I'm just writing for you guys now. On another note, SUMMER! I have missed it so. I got a job, at an ice cream place, so I'm thrilled :P How's everyone else's summer getting along?


	7. Baby Steps

Maka didn't bother to knock – it was locked, but he kept a spare key in the small ceramic lampshade built into the wall. Stepping up on the tips of her toes, she reached in and fished it out, shutting it while also faintly wondering who'd gotten a hold of his key to lock it in the first place.

Clicking it in place, the door swung open, although it was still as heavy as ever. Some mild effort later and Maka was walking towards Soul's door, getting more and more nervous as she did. What if he was still really sick? Or worse, what if he was just simply gone? With the attackers able to easily infiltrate the apartment, they could've kidnapped him easily!

Her pace sped up, and within seconds her hand was on the knob, turning it easily. She threw the door open with more force than necessary – without the stopper, she probably would've woken up the sleeping boy in front of her.

And he looked like he was having quite a nice time, dozing away there. He was sprawled across the bed, half hanging off of it but still managing to make use of all the space, with most of the blankets either scrunched at the end of the bed or on the floor. Soul himself was snoring softly, and drooling, with his hand occasionally twitching as he snoozed in the most blatant and provocative way imaginable.

For a few minutes Maka just stood there in the doorway, watching the sleeping teen while the already impressive pool of drool on his pillow grew. And then the shock passed, and the blonde launched herself across the room, slamming into Soul, knocking him awake and throwing them both on the floor.

" You idiot! _You idiot! _You had me so freaking worried about you, and then I come in here to find you sleeping like a total moron? _Damn it all!" _She raged to a shocked Soul, who had been blissfully dreaming (about the ultimate sandwich: two bagels, with a soul stuffed between them) when a second later he was on the floor, completely unprepared to face the screeching banshee on top of him screaming while she hugged him like she'd never see him again.

"–I thought something was so wrong and we'd have to call Shinigami or you'd have to go to the hospital–"

Soul stared at her.

"–and the people had gotten you, the ones that got Maddy, so I was _freaking_ out–"

Soul smiled.

"–even slamming into the door just thinking about you all beat up in the enemies hands, when Tsubaki suddenly smashed a door into my face–"

"Maka." He tried to interrupt, his voice sounding seriously amused.

"–haven't even eaten breakfast yet–"

"Maka–"

"– I forgot to change out of my clothes _and _brush my teeth–"

"Maka!"

"_What?_"

She finished breathlessly, glaring down at him while at the same time ready to start crying in disbelieving relief. She hadn't realized it yet- how much one night without him had nearly brought the world crashing down on her. She couldn't live without him. And it was clear by the look in his eye that the lifeline was mutual.

There was no time for an afterthought this time around though, because Soul, now propped up on his elbows, leaned forward and kissed the girl lying in top of him on the forehead, pulling away after a moment and telling her softly,

"Thanks for caring."

He slid out from beneath her, an easy feat thanks to her light weight, heading into the other room with a yawn and stretching one arm above his head while the other gripped the elbow, completely oblivious to the frozen form on the floor. Mumbling something about crazy blondes, the teen disappeared into the kitchen, leaving her to her own insane rationalizations.

Maka hadn't moved. It had been the very last reaction she'd expected from him, the fact that he had actually _kissed _her – not on the mouth, not even on the cheek– I mean, her dad used to kiss her forehead all the time, but Soul could hardly be compared to that mad man.

Still, it didn't let her mind logically take apart the situation. If anything, that half-conclusion only confused her further.

_That didn't happen, _one half of her argued_, you're probably still in Tsubaki's bedroom, sleeping, idiot. What kind of things are you dreaming?_

The other half shot back, _it did! It did happen, and you should beat the shit out of him for trying to pull that sort of thing over you_–

Another half, obviously forgetting the laws of mathematics due to its own quantity, cut the thought off with, i_t happened for sure. And you liked it, Maka. Admit it. You are going nowhere with these inner conflicts. Denial is unhealthy._

Just as she thought she was about to punch the wall for the confusion he'd left her to figure out on her own, a living punching bag arrived. Slamming into the wall above the bed was Black Star.

"_Sooooooul!_ Are you okay? _Where are you?"_

"MAKA CHOP."

The blue-haired boy was now lying on his face and spread across the floor, steadily reaching death by bloodloss, and Maka already felt better. Now, she needed to decide how she was going to handle this. The anatomical side of her head kicked in, and she began to try and pick this apart piece by piece.

She could either a) confront him on the matter, b) ignore the entire affair, c) run around destroying things, or d) figure it out by careful observation, intense scrutiny and a cool head.

It was obvious which was the better choice, so with complete emotional control and academy-award winning acting skills, she walked out into the living room, asking in a casual tone,

"What's for breakfast?"

To her immense relief, Tsubaki was there too, which probably explained Black Star's random arrival. She was standing beside Soul, who was helping her slice a piece of bread off the load with half a bagel sticking out of his mouth, looking about ready to fall any minute.

He seemed okay – even seeming to have more color in his cheeks than usual, which relieved her. It had probably been his first full night of sleep in a long time, and she felt a pang of guilt for being overcome by her emotions and wrenching him out of it the way she had.

" Well," started Tsubaki, "I _was _gonna make pancakes, but you guys didn't have enough butter after _Soul _insisted on the _three bagels _and the insane amount of butter he drowned them in."

Said boy had the decency to look a little ashamed, but laughed it off when Maka started giggling, thinking of the previous day in the cafe and the six bagels. They were all feeling better after the nice dose of sleep, but openly laughing brought Tsubaki's disapproving attention upon her, who proceeded to reprimand her about her attire.

"How about you go shower, and I'll shoot over to your place and grab you some clothes?"

Maka stopped laughing.

"Shower? Here?" She asked abruptly, and Tsubaki looked slightly surprised, nodding.

"Well, yeah, it seems kind of pointless to go all the way over to your place and wait for the hot water to heat up when you've been staying here anyways, right?" She slowly nodded, and Tsubaki laughed lightly, informing her,

"Don't worry, Black Star and I practically live together too. Partners tend to get closer as time goes on – more than half live with each other, since they're always at each other's places anyways and that way they don't have to pay separate bills."

Maka looked thoughtful for a minute. _But... It just seems too intimate... _She thought to herself, glancing up at Soul, who was occupying himself by trying to balance the butter in one hand, and the bagel and knife in the other all the while attempting to butter yet another one.

She looked away before he caught her staring at him, agreeing and then heading off into the bathroom, calling back to the two boys just as Black Star reemerged from Soul's room, rubbing his head,

"You better not peek!"

Two simultaneous voices sounded in the background.

"Like I would!"

* * *

Just like I promised :) And would you look at that. Fluff. A tiny lintball of fluff, but it's there all the same.


	8. And Now a Word From the Author

Hi everyone! This is Maddy, obviously.

I hate to make it look like I've updated this story for anyone waiting on the new chapter, but sadly this is just one of those annoying authors notes. The good news is, I'm not going to drop this story as it probably looks like I have. My interests shifted & changed, as is inevitable, and I found myself writing a new story. I want to finish that one before I work on this one, because I'm going to have to reread, fix up and write a lot of stuff to get Walk By finished. But if there's anyone who even remembers this story, I thought I was long overdue on an explanation. It may take me a while, but I _do_ intend to stick with it till the end. For you guys and for the morality of it.

Thanks for the support! Once I finish up on other things, I will get on this, just don't expect anything soon, because I have other priorities. Grade ten is that much more taxing when you're planning to graduate at the end of grade eleven.

See you soon!

Monster Mads


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